* Michelle Thoughts

Turning Thirty

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Our Early Service Conference (ESC) is next week, so we’ll be spending the week at a hotel with the other volunteers in our group as well as a few days with our project partners to do some follow-up on training and begin some intentional planning together. During this time, on September 27, I will be celebrating my 30th birthday! Yes, it’s true.

As always with my birthdays, I’m trying my best to keep looking forward, to have each year be better than the one before. The hardest thing at the moment is knowing that these are the last days of my twenties! I know that age doesn’t change suddenly with the turn of a birthday, rather, it grows over time. But the fact remains that I will never be in my twenties again after next week.

Do I have anything left undone for this decade? Continue reading “Turning Thirty” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

A Land of Contradictions

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Understanding Jamaica is a life-long endeavor. In the short amount of time we’ve been here, we have only uncovered the tip of the ice berg in terms of understanding the culture. But one thing that has already become apparent is that Jamaica is a land of contradictions. In an attempt to explain what that means and to share a bit about what we’ve learned so far with those of you at home, here are a few of the contradictions.

Shopping in a Jamaican clothing store

Fresh and Healthy
Jamaica is a fertile place with an abundance of amazing Continue reading “A Land of Contradictions” →

* Jedd Thoughts, * Peace Corps, Videos

“Go For the Gold” – Summer Camp 2012 Video

simplyintentional

August 14th – 17th marked the hardest and best week I’ve had in Jamaica. Michelle and I (along with 20 or so community volunteers) put on a week long day camp for 30+ youth ages 11 – 23 (originally for ages 14-20).

The theme of camp was “Go for the Gold” – piggy backing off of the amazing performance of Jamaican athletes in the Olympics. We wanted the youth to think about their futures, their goals, but more importantly, what things they would need in order to succeed. The camp featured guest speakers and teachers, life-skills activities, dance lessons, computer lessons, sex/health/drug education, and a talent show. The next step for us is to ride the momentum and success of the camp and start a youth club. We look forward to next year’s camp but thank God that we don’t have to worry about it till next year.

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps, Videos

Jamaican Music (clean and positive)

mcmeeshi

Jamaica is known for its music. “Artists” (singers or DJs) are idolized, even to the point of causing riffs between communities and leading the youth into some big trouble. Some Jamaicans blame the dance hall music culture for the degradation of society’s values. There are a number of artists, however, who are promoting positive values through catchy songs. Here are a few of our favorites that we thought y’all would enjoy:

Etana

Tarrus Riley

Romain Virgo

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps, Videos

August Overview Video

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PCJ August ’12 Recap from Chamanson on Vimeo.

This video shows some of the highlights of this exciting month in Jamaica. From 50th anniversary independence celebrations, the Olympics, threats of a hurricane, 40-leg centipedes, and an eventful youth summer camp, our days were more than full.

A success story from camp involves a group of six teenage girls from two separate (and practically rival) communities. The week before camp, four of the girls felt somehow dissed by the other two and started a fight Continue reading “August Overview Video” →

* Jedd Thoughts, * Peace Corps

A Camp to Remember

simplyintentional
Campers & Volunteers

I like to make pronouncements, I’m an idea guy. Most of the times I don’t actually see my ideas through, but every now and then….something special happens. This time around I decided to take on the challenge of coordinating a week-long youth camp with the intention of having the youth think about their futures. Mind you, Peace Corps suggests that we spend the first couple of months at site observing and thinking about what you would like to do. However, my supervisor is a “go-getter” and when we talk, she expects that i’ll do it, and soon. Thus, we can’t just talk about possibly putting on a youth camp, we had to do it.

Today marked the last day of camp and I told the youth that, “it was one of the BEST things I have ever been a part of in my life,” and it’s true. Continue reading “A Camp to Remember” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps, Videos

Life In The Yard: A Video (and so much more)

mcmeeshi

I’ve been collecting footage of the various creatures and friends around our yard since we arrived. Some have already come and gone in the short time we’ve been here, but there is also a continuous renewal of life through new birth. In that way, the place is always, always full of life.

Most recently, we disposed of a particularly unwelcome guest, Continue reading “Life In The Yard: A Video (and so much more)” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Jamaica 50: Wi likkle but wi tallawah

mcmeeshi

“We’re little but we’re talented/strong/tough”

from my-island-jamaica.com

This has been an eventful week to be in Jamaica! From the Olympics to the 50th anniversary celebrations to the tropical storm watch, it is a unique and special time.

We got to watch the 100 meter men’s and women’s finals with our host parents. There’s a TV in our living room that has gone unused because the signal hasn’t been good. What we didn’t know was Continue reading “Jamaica 50: Wi likkle but wi tallawah” →

* Jedd Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Mackerel Run Down

simplyintentional

If there is anything consistent so far about our Peace Corps experience it’s that our life as volunteers are filled with a roller coaster of emotions and events.  Both of us have been experiencing our own challenges at work – working with children is difficult and working within new cultural norms. We’ve also recently discovered that a large centipede has been living with us (first spotted last week and has yet to be evicted). Finally we had to say farewell to a good friend who will be greatly missed.

But life is full of contradiction here too and there have Continue reading “Mackerel Run Down” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Better with Both: The Advantages of Peace Corps as a Couple

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Jedd and I joined Peace Corps for the challenge of growing as individuals and as a couple in an unfamiliar, cross-cultural environment. We knew that the Peace Corps experience would help us conquer new obstacles, refine our values that will guide the rest of our lives, and bring us closer together as a couple through common shared experiences and overcoming challenges. Being the practical (and sometimes pessimistic) one, I was gearing up for two years of tumult, knowing that the every-day stressors in our lives were about to get magnified. But what pales in comparison to the normal, surface-level clashes in our marriage is an underlying thankfulness: I’m so glad I’m not doing this alone!

Some of the single Peace Corps volunteers, who make up the majority of our crew on the island, have told us Continue reading “Better with Both: The Advantages of Peace Corps as a Couple” →